Demons Burden
by AdamGunther
Summary: Nothing, nothing was all he wanted. Out of fear and out of cowardice, he lived alone with the so-called curse. His worst enemy he couldn't get rid of. Follow a strange man through Ionia, following the path of change, and trying to save something that he took for granted. What fun it would be if he brought along a few "friends" with him. T for violence and language.
1. Ch 1 - Rain

**Hi, it's me. Thanks for stumbling upon my story, this is a re-write of the one I dropped a while ago (Demon's Burden) but I want to pick it up again and give it new life. It's not going to be similar to the old one, new ideas and new plans. I especially want to make it a little humorous and flush out an actual arc this time. Get ready for a crazy ride, this one is more OC oriented so if you are not into that stuff sorry, and make sure to leave a review because it not only gives me motivation but it's a very easy way to tell me what i'm doing wrong :D, or give me the courage to write the next chapter which I seem to be short on these days. (Also I am not a romance writer, the T rating is for violence and mild language) Anyway enough of the intro, here we go. Hope you enjoy :3**

 **Double Quotes: Speech**

 **Single Quotes:** **Thoughts**

 _ **Italicized: dreams**_

 **Sorry if that's weird, i've just gotten used to it.**

 **Enjoy :D**

 **-Adam**

* * *

The water poured into the dense forest, raindrops slipping through the cracks of trees and forming shallow puddles on the ground. The birds stopped their chirping, settling under branches to stay creatures of the forest were still, waiting out the late winter storm. The warrior panted hard, hand clutching the scabbard at his side as his feet sunk into the mud and onwards. His hands constantly slipped and his cloak did little to keep the rain from soaking to his skin. He kept his eyes at the ground, stepping over rocks and upwards towards the top of the hill.

He was young, face set with determination as he continued his steady march towards his destination. He parted a few low hanging branches and stepped into the small clearing. The clearing was a wide open area where there were no trees, in the center was a small pond. Scattered over the patch of short grass were rocks that made it seem like an altar.

His gut twisted and he frowned, treading further into the clearing. The sky cracked and lightning struck, quickly illumination the gray sky as if in warning. He knelt down and placed the sword on the ground in front of him. Slowly he moved his hands to his folded knees. Finally he bowed his head to the ground and shut his eyes before he started his speech.

"I am not going to ask what you are, or why you are here, only that you leave so my people can live in peace." He kept his head low, his plea almost drowned out by the roar of the raindrops. Cautiously he looked up from his position, dark hair pressed to his head.

In front of him on one of the rocks was another figure. As far as he could see it looked humanoid, it had simple loose fitting black clothes on and a hood on it's head. It had seemed human enough, maybe even a clothed Vastaya. Based on the multitude of warning that he had receiver before his journey this thing was not something that would be on a "simple stroll. The thing was hiding its face was a plain mask of white. Two holes were smooth circles for the eyes and another where the mouth would be. Everything behind the mask was obscured by a black curtain except for the dark red glow.

"My people fear you after what you did, they want me to stop you even when they teach peace. I ask you to simply leave. Spirit please leave this place, leave it so we can sleep without constant worry." There was sincerity and a tinge of pain in his words, what he was doing was the opposite of what the elders told him to do. He used the word spirit instead of demon, showing some respect. The glow behind the mask showed no emotion, two red lights like beacon shining onto the ground. It was in a loose crouching position with its elbows on it's knees. Slowly the head of the figure tilted to the side to look at the warrior from a different perspective.

The air stilled and the warrior's gaze met the two beads of light. They seemed to look into him, as if they could see his very soul. The lights swirled and the rest of the world seemed to fall away as he looked into those lights. The sound of the rain seemed to stop and he only concentrated on holding the stare. To the warrior it felt like an eternity before he dropped his head again and clenched his eyes closed.

"Do you believe in fate?" The sound of the figures voice was hollow and distant, having an eerie echo effect that made the warrior shivir. There was a couple seconds where the hum of the rain drowned out everything else. A couple seconds of loud silence. His eyes were slightly open, watching the droplets fall into a puddle in front of his legs.

"Yes," There was a strain in his voice that tried to mask the fear he had. More time stretched on of only the sound of rain.

"Strange... if everything is decided for us than what is the point of trying, even if fate is decided we can't see it." The figure on the rock talked quickly, the speech was directed more to itself than the warrior at it's feet. "Why do you want me to leave?" Another question spoken with an empty voice.

"Because many of my people think you bring death, they claim that you are to be feared." The warrior kept his eyes shut but raised his back, putting his hands on his knees. "I don't know of the suffering you have caused, I don't know of what you have done, I only ask that you leave." His hands were white from the cold and his breath made small clouds in front of his as he took deep breaths.

"Do you fear death?" The warrior wanted to pick up his sword on impulse but only shut his eyes tighter.

"No," The answer was quiet, a whisper barely audible in the roar. He wanted to stand and move but kept his ground. "Will you leave?" He asked again.

Another stretch of quiet, the figure pondering his question.

"Yes." The warrior looked up quickly. He scanned where the figure had been. The rock now empty, the figure gone. Slowly he picked himself up and reached for his sword.

"Fate and death are one and the same, you can't run from either." The warrior turned to try and find where the voice had come from. Nothing but wet foliage and swinging branches. He pressed his mouth into a line. The stretched conversation had been tense but as long as the strange creature didn't come back he would have done his job. The warrior walked back into the forest to continue his trek back to home. His boots squishing, hands pushing aside low hanging branches. Down the hill back to the warm hearth of his house, where others were waiting for his return.

A pair of glowing eyes watched him as he left the clearing as he retraced his trail. The figure stood on a high branch.

"He would have made your job easier." The voice wrapped around his head and clouded his thoughts. It drove him forwards, he needed to obey.

"Few deserve what I bring." He lifted his head upwards, the hood falling off to reveal a mess of black hair. The water slid off of the mask like tears, the impenetrable clouds kept the sky in its dark grey.

"We wait for night to hunt. Then we return and you will be gone." The figure kept watching the rain cascade down onto his already soaked body.

"As you wish." The other voice held little malice, only a deep hunger evident in it's tone.

"Why the night?" The voice asked.

"I will only hunt the wicked, the wicked do not rest." The branch that the figure was on swayed in the wind, the figure was gone.

* * *

"You will get what you want so let me work in quiet." The man stood atop the tower, he looked down as it disappeared in the dark streets. During the night the city of Noxus was forever covered in a veil of complete black, not even a single star could get past the cloud cover.

He was crouched on a high clock tower to get a vantage of low streets, he would be watching the slums. Even though the city was filled to the brim with nasty people but he wanted to limit the commotion. The slums of Noxus had one of the highest mortality rates. A single lamplight penetrated the dark streets.

'Time, oh what time.' The grit his teeth, the hungry voice that was not his own drove him mad.

"I said be quiet."

'The quiet never yielded anything, and as far as you're concerned you are asking youself to be quiet.' The voice said with a hint of humor. The man ignored the taunt and kept watching below.

He disappeared from the clocktower and to the top of one of the larger buildings. The flickering of the candle shone through the window below him. It stood out in the dark, the kind of dark that the starving rats could hide in, devouring anything that crossed in front of their nose. The man placed his hands on the edge of the building. Then in one fluid motion he kicked his legs up so that he was now in a precarious handstand above the multiple story drop.

He lifted one hand and swung his body so he was now facing the opposite direction with his stomach towards the steep drop below. He let himself fall down towards the dark streets and cobbles. His hands gripped the edge of the roof and the momentum swung him cleanly through the open window and into the room. His feet landed quietly, and like a ghost he moved without a sound. In the corner of the room another man sat with his back to the window.

"Faster faster." The voice hissed in his head.

'Patience.' There was the sound of coins hitting each other as they were counted methodically, one after the other. The figure stopped a foot behind the man and waited.

Clink, Clink, each coin falling, one, after, the other.

In a blur of movement the man sitting on the ground stood and drew a dagger, pointing it towards the masked figure. His eyes fell onto the two red lights in the mask and his mouth fell open. A hand reached up from the figures cloak and gripped the man's wrist, the knife clattered to the ground.

The red gaze hypnotized him and he let it consume him.

"Be still." The hollow voice came from the figure. The hand let go of his wrist and moved to his chest. The figure stepped closer to the man so the mask was only a few inches away from the man's face.

The man's mouth opened and closed like a fish, no words coming out. The red light burned holes into his skull. His mind was filled with a dark emptiness. Soon there was nothing but red in his vision. Wisps smoke started to move from the man's mouth and eyes, almost like there was a fire in him and the smoke was escaping through his face. The light faded away and the life within the man's eyes dimmed with it.

The corpse fell to the floor on top of the small pile of stolen gold. The figure turned around and took a few more steps to the window before stopping. There was another presence in the room, someone watching from a dark corner. Quickly the figure turned around and threw his hand up into his face. There was a wet sliding sound as the hilt of the dagger stopped it from going any further into the figure's hand. It had been precisely aimed for his neck.

"I will leave, don't get in my way." The red lights flared behind the mask.

"That was my kill." Another person stepped from the dark corner of the room, a boy in a cloak that could not have been older than eighteen. He had another dagger readied in his hand. The figure reached with his non injured hand and gripped the handle of the dagger, sliding it out of his palm and throwing it onto the ground with a clang. Blood dripped onto the floor and pooled under the wound.

"As far as anyone is concerned, that was your kill. You will not see me again." The figure turned back towards the window and watched the empty street with glowing red eyes.

"What did you do?" Talon asked as he moved closer to the body on the ground. His eyes darted to the gold then back to the figure at the window. He did not answer, before he stepped onto the window cill. Then he tilted forwards and fell down to the street.

Talon quickly stepped to the window and looked down. There was nothing below and he retreated from the open window and back to the body. The man on the ground was dead, he scraped up the coins on the ground and placed them into his pockets. Soon the room was silent, the only thing left was the dead man and the pool of dark blood on the floor.

* * *

 _He sat with his back to the wall, watching the waves crash along the rocky shore. The door to the small cabin and another boy stepped out._

" _What are you looking at?"_

" _Nothing."_

" _Do you know if dad is back from his fishing run yet?"_

" _No." The boy sat down next to his brother. They watched the gulls circle the rocks, white water spouting from the impact of waves. A large live oak shaded them, the sun of the summer had darkened their skin and stretched the days to shorten the nights._

" _How much jerky is left in the pantry?" It had only been two days since their last scavenge for food. Fish, crab, berries, if they were lucky the older brother could peg an unsuspecting animal with his sling._

" _Enough for tonight, but we will look again tomorrow." The little brother rested his head on the others shoulder._

" _Is this going to go on forever."_

" _No, but for now it's a circle." The older one lifted himself up, he was wearing a torn brown shirt and dusty sandals. They couldn't afford to try and make a trip to the town, it's not like they had any money anyway._

" _When will the circle break."_

" _When it has too."_

* * *

The dream fell into darkness and Adam opened his eyes. The dark cabin was musky, he took a deep breath and sat up. The pile of hay that was his bed pricked at his skin. He sat up with a jolt and moved to the bucket of water by the side of his bed. 'Stupid dreams, stupid memories.' He washed his face and took a calming breath, putting his hands over his face. 'Forget the night, it is over for now, forget the night, it's over.' The warm flesh of that man's neck had been under his hand. He looked at it now, all that was left of the deep gash was a thin line. The demon in his head was gone, and back came the pain. He stood and put on simple garb before stepping from the cabin. Living in the middle of nowhere was lonely, but a life of loneliness was meant for someone like him.

The morning had a slight chill to it and he moved to a patch of sun over grass before sitting down. Tucking his feet in the lotus position and taking breaths of the cool air. Listening to the sounds, the birds chirping, and the sway of the trees. He felt every part of his body, acknowledging it and dimming it from his senses. He let the morning calm him down, there was a time of dull silence before the churning in his stomach gumbled.

'Time to get something real to eat.'

* * *

 **Soooo how did you like it, love it? Hate it? Please let me know. I want to continue writing this but getting through school has been tough recently so I will post as much as I can. (but reviews will make me faster :3)**

 **Anyway thanks for reading!**

 **-Adam**


	2. Ch 2 - Forest Lights

**Hi, :3. I am back and with another chapter. This one I had to re-write the ending because getting personalities right is hard. I don't really have a normal update schedule right now but I won't leave you guys hanging for too long. *crosses fingers* I hope. Well this chapter is going to have a little more action in it and start to get the new plot ROLLING.**

 **Hope you enjoy**

 **-Adam**

* * *

The last night's rain left the forest damp and the bark of trees slippery. Adam walked onwards through the cover, the early morning walk was cold. Every day he would leave to check his snare traps. There were six in total, two at each location. He had them on a rotation to get the most efficiency, moving one every other day and checking one a day. He continued on, pushing branches to the side.

The ones he was going to today were south of his cabin. He took another look at the small compass before pocketing it. 'Not much further now' Adam hurried his pace.

Most of the snares were not too far but far enough that the animals would be roaming around. The cool morning air was fresh as he took a deep breath in, smelling the magic of the forest. Letting it clear his mind and senses.

Adam froze completely, halting mid stride. There was the slight smell of rotting in the air, contrasting the morning air. Not the kind that would turn a tree to dirt, but the maggot infested corpses of prey. It could have been caused by an animal in the trap but he doubted it. The snare wasn't meant to kill the creature immediately. He reached back to grasp the handle of the hand-crafted knife at his waist. He stepped from heel to toe, an attempt at being quiet. The moist ground helped cushion his footsteps as he gained ground. A predator could have gotten an easy meal out of it, but best not to take chances if they decided to linger around.

The leaves peeled away to reveal the trap. Hanging from the mechanism was a rabbit. Or rather, half of one. The missing half had been torn off by something rough. Cut away by a dull knife or torn with teeth. Adam briefly checked his surroundings, nothing but the trees. He let go of the knife and moved to inspect the corpse. 'definitely teeth marks,' the thought was confirmed by the clear U shape of the bite. Each individual tooth jagged in the flesh.

He raised his hand to touch the limp body. It smelled fresh, it had not started to fall apart. The corpse was not warm, but the temperature could have been changed by the rainfall. The creature was probably ripped apart sometime in the past day or so.

"What could have done it?" He examined the bite closer, it was a bight. Maybe a fox but not a wolf, yet he had only ever seen one before many miles away. After living in a single patch of the forest for years and years he would have noticed the disturbance of another animal moving in. "Could have been just passing by." Adam doubted his own thought, there wasn't a reason, starved maybe? Free food was still free food. He took the rabbit and removed it from the snare trap. He would have to move the trap now, this location would be no good if another creature knew about it.

A few minutes later he had untied the snare from it's location. Making sure that he had all the components before stalking back into the forest. The upturned mound of dirt the only sign of a grave. He had dug it so that it wouldn't attract any more unwanted attention.

Adam looked up to see the sky in between the trees. Tracing the clouds with his eyes and taking a deep breath before striding onwards.

* * *

There was an abundance of nuts and berries that grew behind his hut, he chewed thoughtfully. Adam popped another of the brown nuts into this mouth, it tasted bland but the little sugar that the berries provided made it alright. The uneventful days were the ones that he cherished the most, where nothing bad ever happened, or good. Nothing was just what he wanted, nothing was why he lived in the middle of nowhere.

After the small meal had been finished he placed the carved bowl on the bench to the side of the cabin. The rest of the single room was undecorated. A fireplace of stones leading to a rickety chimney, a bed of straw and the bench that he would move outside on hot days to sit in the sun. Adam now found himself in the straw that served as a bed, looking at the plain ceiling.

Sometimes he would stay there for hours, staring at nothing but the cracks in the wood. His mind would curl into itself and imagine the world outside the green of Ionia. What had happened, what is going to happen, and how he didn't want any part of it.

There was the feeling as if a hole was constantly being pressed into his chest. Maybe it was loneliness, solitude, unhappiness, a feeling he forgot the meaning of. Every night the self torment of his imagination that led to grief. Maybe it was how there was nothing that really mattered besides memories. Maybe there was a place he could go to just stop the maddening sickness. Maybe.

"Stop" He thought, a mental slap to halt his mind. Adam closed his eyes and dulled his ears, nothing but crickets to serenade him to sleep. Ignore it all, 'constantly remind yourself of the color black and how it is the absence of everything and eventually you will fall asleep.' Soon he was falling, on the edge of consciousness and fading quickly.

Eventually long breaths were coming from his body as he lay in the corner. The night air was chilly, becoming colder and colder as the days passed. There was a soft rustle of leaves, but tonight there was no wind.

Small steps patted towards the cabin and slowed before reaching it. The door opened without protest and let in a stream of light from the crescent moon poking through the trees before it was closed again.

The floorboards bent but did not creak, soon the creature was approaching the sleeping figure in the corner. It was only a few feet away, coming closer and closer until it was able to touch him.

There was a red flash and Adam spun around, his hand outstretched as he grabbed the creature by the neck and with a brute force pinned it down. Under his hands was a fox, a clean white fox with mud stained paws. It tried to yelp in surprise but the grip clamped harder.

There was a constant red glow radiating from Adam's eyes, staring down the small fox. "Such a curious creature." his voice was empty, hollow. The hand started to close tighter around the throat and the paws were pushing away at his arm but Adam didn't release. The fox was losing, not able to come close to matching the strength of the man. Soon it would be dead.

There was a flicker in Adam's eyes seemed to dim, the grip on the fox's throat wavered just enough for it to stay conscious.  
"No stop." Adam said aloud. His mouth was pressed into a grimace, he was angry at himself. The hollow voice replaced by a panicked one. 'Stop this.' Adam thought, speaking in his mind. "You let this thing come close to you, it could have wrangled your throat open, you should be more careful." The voice of the demon spoke in his mind, emotionless. The fox was still under the steel grip, it's eyes wide.

'It's just curious, let go, if it jumps I can protect myself. This thing could not have "wrangled my throat open." as you so lovingly explained it.' The grip loosened further and the red glow started to die from Adam's eyes. "Fine." The demon's voice disappeared from his mind and the cabin was cast into pitch black.

Adam blinked, trying to adjust his vision to the low light. Slowly he released his grip on the fox and it scampered to the opposite side of the room. 'Naive thing.' He thought. Even if the fox had gotten in there is no way it could have left, the old door only opened inwards. Adam shifted his body so his feet were against the hard floor and lifted himself up. Bending backwards in a quick stretch before walking towards the door. The small creature yipped at him and he stopped.

Now that his eyes had adjusted he could see the small fox with the tiny bit of light making it's way through the window. It had white fur and a red mark on its head. It's slim eyes were cast wide with fear, not blinking.

"I am just going to let you out, don't bite now." Adam spoke quietly. He slid to the side so that he was the farthest away from the fox but still close enough to reach the door. He stretched his hand out and looked over his shoulder so his gaze didn't startle the fox. He pulled the door handle and it opened with ease. The little fox scampered from the structure and back into the woods. Adam watched its form disappear into the night, letting the crickets continue their song before closing the door again.

"Goodbye little one." Adam walked back to the rough bed and laid down in it's straw. Maybe the fox would come again, but hopefully not eat one of his rabbits. He would have gladly shared it instead of having the rest of it wasted.

He felt unsettled, the sharp wake up call of his body jerking to the side had been startling, his limbs not his own. The demon was gone now, and with it his fear. He did not like the harsh wake ups but after receiving many of them he was satisfied that this time it didn't end in blood.

'Scurry on little fox' Adam dozed back off and fell into the darkness of his mind. 'Far far away.'

* * *

 _There was no more room for tears in his eyes, no more room for the pain in head or heart. The brothers stood in the field. Knee high grass expanded around them except for the small patch of grass in front of them. The mound of dirt protruding where the hole had been dug._

 _'Just like a rabbit.' Adam thought._

 _The younger brother started to break first, face contorting into a mess as he grasped his sibling to try and find some comfort. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground. He gripped the grimy clothes of his brother who was also kneeling, the older one's face gave away nothing._

 _Like a fresh spring rain the tears speckled the grave with dots of dark brown._

 _"Why" The little one sobbed. "Wh-Why did the circle break." He broke down and gripped his brother harder. "Her voice and her hands." He stopped speaking and stayed looking down. His through shuddered and his voice breaking into shallow breaths._

 _"Both were soft." The older one talked for the first time. His voice null, he couldn't break now. When the chain is put under pressure the stronger links have to support the weaker ones._

 _He let his brother cry and wrack in despair. He stood up, moving his arms around his brother, urging him to stand up._

 _"The circle had to break, and now that it has a new one will start to turn." The older brother started to shuffle the other away from the unmarked grave. Hands on the younger ones shoulders, pushing him away._

 _A stray tear trickled down the side of his cheek and fell to the ground._

 _"It had to break."_

* * *

Adam wiped the hunting knife clean, the snare traps had been surprisingly efficient in catching the small creatures of the forest. It had taken a while to completely skin another rabbit, he would let the pelt dry overnight and moved to place the fresh meat on a stake. This one he had found unscathed an uneaten. It made a hearty dinner. The meat cooked slowly over the small fire, the plume of smoke rising out of the cabin.

Adam turned the spit slowly, watching the fire lick at the meat.

The fire burning through the beams of houses and crashing towns into ash. Rage, rage, and watch it turn the sky to black and red.

He shook his head, casting away the presence in the back of his mind.

The meat was tender and stringy, the taste much more savory than a few nuts and berries. He ate quietly and watched the fire die, leaving him in the dark cabin. Adam needed something more to clear his mind of the darkness in it's core. He stood up, placing the stake down and crabbing the cloak by the door before swiftly leaving.

He had not been to the nightward lights in a while. A few minutes walk from the cabin would lead him to a part of the forest where he could sit in awe. The trees would glow green and give a soft warmth, making the forest most alive.

On cold nights, or on the dreary ones he would walk there. To sit in the light and watch the enchanted forest teem with life. You could feel it in the air, the smell and the greatness of it all, like a natural euphoric drug that would make everything calm. Adam wrapped the cloak tight around himself and stepped further away from the cabin. It wasn't long before he could see speckled green lights through the trees.

The forest was life and he could marvel in it all. The area was still dark, the moon clearly visible above the trees. He looked up and he moved, some of the leaves had a dim glow to them but not the vibrance he was used to. He kept his eyes up and avoided trees, step by step. The lights never shone past a dim glow. Even now he had been walking much further than normal, the lights were flickering like a dying fire.

"Something is wrong." Adam spoke to the trees. He squinted and craned his neck further but the dim lights did not have the same life. There was also a faint smell of smoke, but no visible signs of fire. He ignored the irking feeling and continued forwards.

"No no no it's not here, the feeling, the magic it's gone." The lights were not calm, they were dying. He reached out to touch the bark of a nearby tree. It felt dry, too dry, like it would crack, break, and peel away.

The forest floor was covered in fallen leaves, the bright light that used to populate the dark night was a flickering husk of what it was. It no longer looked like a fairytale, the light was gone.

"What happened." Now it was dying, even through the many storms, the tens of winters he had walked through the enchanted place it had never looked as dull as it did now.

He pressed his mouth into a line, hating himself for what he was going to do next.

'Demon what happened here?'

"Ah so you do choose to speak to me." The voice mocked him.

'Only because I don't have any knowledge of this sort.'

"It's not good to push people away Adam, especially the ones you can't get rid of." Adam ignored the jibe and pointed at the dim lights above them.  
'Can you tell what's wrong with the trees, they are different.'

"Well there is an obvious depletion of magic. Hmmmm, touch that tree for me." Adam lifted his hand and felt the bark.

"It's not dead yet, but it's definitely dying…. now pick one of the leaves." He gripped the stem and pulled it from the branch.

"Oh, I see. Or rather, I feel." The demon chuckled at his own joke.

'Tell me.' He didn't want the other presence sharing his thoughts.

"It is being drained."

'But by wha-' He couldn't finish his sentence. There was a flash of gold and he spun to the right, the quick burst of light stunning him. The world collapsed on itself and in one moment he was standing a few feet from his previous location.

'What was that.' Adam panicked, the demon had teleported him backwards.

"Duck." The demon ordered. Adam complied and a whizz passed by his head and an object sunk itself into the tree behind him. He reached back to grab where his knife would be but there was nothing, he had left it back with the skinned rabbit. He cursed under his breath at both his stupidity and the demon, reaching into the back of his mind.

'Since you're so keen on not letting me get impaled, why not give a little help.' He thought, starting to run back in the direction of his cabin. It would not help the situation much if he was impaled, but he couldn't fight with nothing.

"You seem very reluctant to ask for my help Adam, this would be much easier if I was not held back."

'HELP.' More whizzing flew by his ears as he ducked behind trees. There was another flash of gold but by the time Adam had turned to face it it was gone.

"Ignore the flashes of gold, it's just a distraction. The flying objects seem to have a much higher chance of killing you." The demon said. One of the sharp objects came close enough to nick the side of his hand. A small slice of pain shot through his hand.

'JUST HELP.' Adam screamed in his head.

"Fine, but only if you let me have some more control for a bit. It has been decades since I have had a good chance at fun." Adam could almost see the ear to ear grin that the Demon would have.

'On the condition of no death.' He was a good runner, but the dead sprint was wearing his legs.

"And here, we, go" the Demon was smiling now with Adam's mouth, eyes glowing bright red in the night. First the escape, he swerved hard right, veering off the original course and dashing now into the uncharted forest. The daggers seemed to fly out of nowhere, a steady stream of the deadly implements flying past. It was too dark to see any detail but the silhouette.

"Hey it's wasteful to just leave these things around you know." The demon yelled behind him, pumping Adam's arms to stay at speed. "Well nothing is going to be done if I just sit here." He jumped up and grabbed a branch, pulling himself upwards and using his momentum to get into the low cover. There was another flash of gold below him that attracted his eye but he wrenched his vision away and kept moving.

"That's a neat little trick you got there with whatever that is." He kept talking, his pursuer was probably using magic to throw him off. His feet hit a particularly slippery branch and he fell forwards. Rolling to keep the chase going he quickly took off again. It was not long before something rough grabbed his arm.

Someone had just grabbed him… and tossed him in the air. They had chucked him straight up with brute strength, stopping his forward motion and leaving him suspended. It had been done in a burst of speed and he could feel the rush of air below him. The pursuer let out a whoop of joy while doing it too. It was a male voice that sounded way too happy for a late night chase through the woods.

"FLY" Another voice yelled to his right and he twisted his body mid air to get a good look where it came from. He was facing with hailstorm of daggers streaking at an incredible speed, threatening to make him into a pincushion if he didn't move.

"Time to go." He disappeared, there had been two of them, the different voices and the different positions. He teleported himself to where he had heard the second voice, the best way to get rid of the daggers would be to get to the source. After he teleported he was still mid air, his mouth making a silent "O" before falling to the ground. He landed hard on something, or rather, someone. There was a mess and a tangle of limbs, including a lot of flailing.

The person he had fallen on top of started to scratch at him, opening a gash on his arm with a sharp claw or dagger. "RAKAN OVER-umph" He clasped his hand over a mouth but was still in a very awkward position. The fumble of arms and legs too chaotic for him too see. Something poked his eye and he drew back a hand to his face.

"You know what, screw this." He grabbed the figure under him, shut his eyes, and teleported up, not concerning himself with distance as long as it was high. He let go hundreds of meters up in the air. Pushing away from the figure and teleporting himself to the ground quickly. He shook his head and assessed the damage to his arm, nothing fatal.

"Well at least that's taken care of, now for the other one." He scanned the surrounding area, brushing himself off and standing up. Cupping his hands to his mouth he yelled.

"IF YOU WANT TO HELP YOUR BUDDY FROM POSSIBLY FALLING TO THEIR DEATHS GET OVER HERE." The demon didn't have to wait long for a reply.

"XAYAH, XAAYAHHH, I KNOW YOU SAID TO BE QUIET BUT WHERE ARE YOU?" The yelling came from his left and he turned to face the other figure. In a streak of yellow they came zooming at him, quickly knocking him over.

"What did you do with Xayah." The voice spoke quickly, he looked down at Adam.

The demon had fallen backwards and was propped up on an elbow, using his other hand to make sure the gash on his arm wasn't bleeding too badly. "Chill, you can have your buddy back." The demon looked up to one of his attackers. "Oh of course it's a Vastaya, magical bird forest things." His voice laced with irritation, these pricks were always roaming around places better left alone. The one in front of him had a wing protruding from his back, the feathers glinted with light. His large pointed ears twitching at the sky. Blond hair reflecting what little light the moon had to offer.

"Get.. her.. Back." The voice had an edge to it this time, the demon only smirked up at the figure in reply.

"Will you attack me?"

"No."

"Good enough." The demon stood up and craned his head back to look upwards. The screaming started very faint but got louder and louder in volume. It would end very abruptly when they hit the ground. He jumped upwards and teleported, leaving the ground to meet the figure above. He appeared behind them and reached out to grab their arms. He was about to get a hold when a wing whipped around and threw him off course.

"HOLD STILL DAMMIT." He reached for their leg and yanked down, grabbing a hold of their torso. The demon almost slipped on the smooth fabric but before he could lose his grip he closed his eyes and teleported back.

His legs almost crumbled below him when he landed on the ground, the added weight of the extra body forcing him to bend his knees. With a heave he threw the body at their partner, who was standing dumbstruck. They clamored to catch the body and wrapped their arms around them protectively.

"Xayah, man Xayah, you ok?"

She coughed before replying. Just a second ago she had been screaming, the ground rushing to meet her.

"Yes Rakan I'm ok."

The demon took a few deep breaths, the constant use of magic taking a toll on his stamina. He stood straight up and cleared his throat.

"Boy oh boy do you have a good explanation for attacking me." He glared at them.

"Flippin' bird people." He murmured.

Another object flew by his ear, he tilted his head to the side to avoid getting impaled.

"That's not a very nice way to thank someone." Both of the Vastayans were standing up in a defensive position, standing at attention after the blond one had confirmed that the girl was ok. Adam could see what was being thrown at him now. In between the fingers of the girl was a row of feathers with sharp points on the end. The deadly implements could have stuck their way far into the skin. With the soft glow of purple magic radiating from the blade.

They waited for him to make a move, the adrenaline still prominent.

"Well bird girl, I just helped you not die, so you could at least tell me why you are here before trying to kill me, unless that's what you're here to try and do." The demon tapped a foot on the ground, arms now folded in front of his chest. "Cause if you have nothing else to do besides throwing feathers at me, I am going home. I am tired, it's late, and you two bursting out of nowhere with feathers flying almost caught me off guard. I spent the night trying to find out what was wrong with the trees and now i'm being stabbed by the people that claim to 'worship' them," He ranted.

There was deadpan silence. The demon rolled his eyes. "Fine, goodbye." He turned around and started marching away. His smile was gone from his face, he did not leave the body unscathed and he would have to give it back to Adam soon. He tilted an ear back to catch any conversation between the two, slowing his pace.

"We have to make sure he's not a spy, we have to follow him to make sure that the others stay protected, there are many more he could hurt if he is one of them." The female's voice was cautious.

"Didn't he save you, he could have just not brought you back, he said he was trying to find where the magic had gone."

"He put me in the sky in the first place, he could be lying."  
"Let's follow him."

"He will turn on us and hurt us, he could be going for backup."

"He could have already hurt us more." There was a moment of silence and the demon had completely stopped in his tracks. He needed to confirm that a very sharp feather would not end up between his shoulders.

"Where are you going?" The demon turned to answer, he turned back to face them. They stood warily in front of him.

"Home, feel free to accompany me if you would like to give me an explanation, it's not far." He started his normal walk again and the footsteps trailed behind him. Knowing these people, they would not backstab him… for now.

"Adam." The demon spoke to make sure the others didn't hear them.

'I am here.'

"You are going to have to take the body back, also careful of the arm."

'What.' The red in his eyes died down back to their original color.

Adam fell to a knee and clutched his damaged arm.

"MMMMmmmm fuuuuuu." He fumed on the ground for a few seconds before stumbling from his crouch.

"Explanation please." He rasped.

'I'll fill you in when we get back.' The demon sounded contempt. The future looked a lot more fun than he was expecting. 'Try to be nice to our new guests.'

"Wait, What?"

* * *

 **Soooo waddya think? Cool? This was my best try at an action scene so if there are any improvements I need to make don't be shy at all to tell me. Any comment big or small good or bad is a good one. Also I did update this chapter one day after release making sure to clean up some of the mistakes and make it flow better.**

 **Oh yea I also wanted to start to answer peoples questions down here too. Or at least reply so they know I am watching, and if you don't like that, then just skip it ;)**

 **Hk: "** Continue please" **I intend to :3**

 **Guest: "** It is a pretty solid rewrite but be careful to not get overly ambitious don't try to write to quickly I would prefer your best not rush. Also nice to see u back :3." **Thanks for the compliment :D, a problem that I had with the previous version is the rush and not enough defined arcs so now I am trying to improve that. If it is still going too fast make sure to let me know.**

 **Welp, that's all for now folks. I hope to see you all in the relatively near future. (Reviews bring up my energy bar, keep em coming XD)**

 **By and thanks!**

 **-Adam.**


	3. Ch 3 - And So It Begins

**Why hello there, hows it goin? Here is another chapter of Demons Burden. I didn't expect to get this one out as fast as I did .-. I just had an idea and took off with it after deciding that I liked it. Make sure to tell me if it feels too fast or too slow, its hard for me to determine how the pacing of the story is going, so please let me know! I don't have too much else to say besides any review big or small helps me get motivated to write more :D. Also I did do some minor edits the day after this chapter was posted to touch it up some.**

 **And as always, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Adam finished wrapping his arm in the stained cloth. He had taken a seat on his bed and laid back, scouring his mind. 'Any trace of how to interact with people? No, hmmmm.' He hung his mouth open. A small bit of drool trickling down the side of his cheek. The fact that the male one was shirtless was not helping.

The two Vatstayans awkwardly stared at him from the corner closest to the door. The male was the first to speak up.

"What are you doing?" Adam found his voice seemed to be inherently obnoxious. Adam shook his head and wiped the trail of saliva from his cheek.

"Uhhh hi." The crickets kept chirping. "So what were you guys doing in the forest?" The amount of cringe felt like it was growing exponentially and radiating from the walls.

"You know what, let's start over." Adam reached a hand out. "Hi I am Adam, I live here in the middle of nowhere." The blonde one reached to greet them in a tight handshake. "Rakan, and this is Xayah." Adam tried to let go but Rakan gave it one last shake before letting go. Then he slid one arm around Adam's shoulders in a friendly gesture.

"See we can trust this guy." Rakan smiled and removed a mirror from his pocket, checking his teeth.

"For now." Xayah glared at Adam.

"Someone isn't very happy." Adam lifted an eyebrow. Xayah didn't seem to have an attitude past cold and condescending.

"I know it's amazing," Rakan said.

'These two are insane.' Adam thought. He looked between the two people,

"Isn't it great? This is going to be fun" The demon sounded tired, but was still happy.

"Would you mind telling me what your reason for being in the forest?" Adam tilted his head to the side. He didn't want to straight up ask, "Why are you attacking me?" It probably would have been rude.

"You first." Xayah kept her still gaze on Adam, arms crossed. She had taken her hood off when inside but that didn't make her look any less threatening.

"Well I normally just go out to relax, the lights in the trees shine every night. I have this uh, let's call it a condition where I can be under a large amount of stress from time to time." Adam looked at her. "That is also a reason why I live out here, away from everyone else. People don't exactly react in the best way when they get near me." Adam smiled and laid his head back. Remembering all the times he had been run from. When they had seen the Demon.

"So back to the explanation why you decided it was a good idea to throw feathers at me." Sure he looked scary but not enough to have these two decide to attack him Rakan perked up to respond, "Well, Xayah thought that you were one of the rather creepy followers of this guy with a black thing and mask." He twirled his finger trying to think of a word.

"Zed." She said the name with contempt.

"Yea that guy, he is doing some weird stuff to the forest. He is trying to control the natural magic,"

"So you thought I was a part of this organization?"

"Mhm." Rakan stood up. "And now that we know where not to settle we will be on our merry way."

Adam sat in silence for a second. "Fine, I think that would be for the best." He didn't need any more information, the sooner he got back to the boring nothing the better.

"Xayah." Rakan had opened the door for Xayah and was motioning for her to go through. Xayah gave one more death glare to Adam before leaving.

He could hear their footsteps leaving, the conversation had been short-lived but honestly, Adam could not care less. The cut would not take long to heal and the rest was all minor really. The faster he cut interaction the less he would have to worry about them later.

"Hey uh hey Adam." Adam rolled his eyes.

"What." The demon sounded almost drunk.

"I am going to need you to feed again sometime soon. Man those two are really something else." Adam sighed, there goes his chance to relax for a while.

"Why do you need to do it now? It hasn't even been a few days!"

"Do you know, how many times I had to teleport in that fight, and also teleport other people. That can drain your energy real fast."

Adam dragged his hand down his face,

"Uuuuugh. Let's sleep on it, I will decide tomorrow." He yawned.

"Bodies are so weird." The demon was getting quieter.

"Shutup." It was not long before Adam fell asleep.

'Hmmm, what to do what to do.' The demon, on the other hand, didn't need to sleep. 'Oh I know, will he kill me? Probably, but hey what's going to stop me. Besides he won't care much after he figures out who I've killed.' Adam's eyes glowed red as he sat up.

It didn't take long for him to put on the black cloak and warm clothing from under Adam's bed. "Time to get to work." He shuffled out of the cabin and into the night.

* * *

The clothing helped him stay in the corners of shadows, where nothing could find him. It had not taken long for the demon to find out where the two Vastayans were camping. It was not far, near the top of a slope in the forest, in a concealed part of shrubbery. They didn't even use tents, just simple bedrolls.

He stayed behind a tree and listened to their conversation.

"That guy was weird," Rakan said.

"He was strong, and he is a threat. The more humans we get involved in this the more complicated it gets." Why did Xayah seem to hate his guts so much? The demon didn't look past the tree.

"Something was off about him though, as if the person we fought was different from the person we just talked too." There was silence.

"He didn't seem human," Xayah stated.

"He might not be, many of our people look human too." Rakan replied, there was a soft scraping sound. One of them was raking they talons on a tree.

"Ignore him for now, continue with what we came here to do. I am sure he will not get in our way and if he does we can deal with him then." Xayah had sat down on the ground next to Rakan. They covered one another with their wings. "Tomorrow morning we head for the small encampment that Zed has set up near the northern border. I am surprised they haven't run into that cabin, it's only a few miles North."

"Cool, so we just go, get the bad guys, then leave." Rakan was too excited again.

"It might be a little harder than that."

"With us two working at it? Pshhh not at all, how many can there be?"

"Zed has a good amount of followers, this is one of many. The one tomorrow will have at least ten. You already know your job and I will take care of the rest."

The rest of the conversation consisted of the sound of feathers and how interesting little bird skulls looked. The Demon plotted, keeping completely still, 'this would be a good opportunity to get my strength back, oh all the souls, they would feel very, very good.' He got up as quietly as possible. 'Time to go.' He left the two Vastayans alone to themselves. He headed North, towards the direction they had described. 'Tonight is going to be a good night, and I will relish it.'

* * *

The six tents were placed a few feet from each other. Three ninjas stood on the site,

"Can't we just sleep, why do we need three people on guard if we are in the middle of nowhere, and why can't we have a fire." They were all wearing completely black and were armed. One with a staff at their side, and the others having swords. Spears laid down next to a few of the tents.

"The fire could be seen from miles and miles away, and if one of us gets jumped there would be no one else to call out." The first figure grumbled in response.

"No outpost has seen anyone, there is no one here. No humans no Vastayans, nothing. This is pointless." The arguing one raised his voice to the trees, trying to prove his point.

"Master's orders, now shut up and do your job. If we can complete the objective then the order will gain an unbelievable amount of power." They stopped talking and went back to scanning the empty forest. The crickets chirped loudly in the night, the light of the moon barely illuminating the ground.

"Wait did you hear something?" One of the figures asked, he leaned forwards and tried to peer into the darkness.

"I swear I could hear something." There was a light tap on his shoulder. He jumped and turned a foot flew out of the dark, knocking him over. The other two guards spun around, one drew a sword and another flipped a staff around in the ready position.

The demon had pinned the guard to the ground and red wisps flew into him from ninja as he drained his soul. The man on the ground didn't have time to struggle, his body fell still. The demon stood and faced the other two, the man had drawn a staff while the female guard had drawn a sword. The shuffling in the tents was the others waking up.

"Oh-ho-ho, a fun, fun night indeed." The demon smiled and tilted his head. He disappeared, they looked around in confusion. "Boo." The man swung the staff around him in an arc at an incredible speed. It flew through the empty air. "Up here silly." He looked up to find the demon falling on top of him, a boot crushed into his face, toppling him. The hand clamped around his neck and he let go of his staff to try to pry the vice-like grip off of his neck. It was no use, more red wisps traveled from the body and to the demon. The guard under him fell limp, hands cold and clammy.

The female guard brought down the sword towards the demon's exposed neck. He disappeared again, she swung the sword anticipation behind her and hit a solid object. A hand was clasped around her sword and she tried to wrench it free, it didn't move at all. The demon had grabbed the blade, but it did not draw any blood from his skin. She looked into his glowing eyes, a malicious smile twisted his face.

Her corpse fell to the dirt ground a second later. The demon turned as more swords were drawn, sliding from their sheaths and pointing towards him. A few of the slower ones still rambling in their tents. His eyes were glowing even brighter now, he had gotten a hold of three souls, more than enough power to take the rest.

He raised his arms at his sides and palms towards the sky as if he was bathing in the moonlight. He let out another cackle, he was in his element. He caught a knife that had sailed at him from the dark. It was slid neatly between his fingers. He promptly threw it back at the owner with triple the force. It buried into a body that fell limply to the ground.

"Tsk, tsk, no one ever taught you how to properly throw a knife?" The nine others had enough time to assemble in front of the lone figure.

"Shall we dance." They all flew at him simultaneously. The demon's red eyes cut the dark night.

"Dance we shall."

* * *

The birds started to chirp right as dawn split the horizon into a sunrise. Light clouds tracing the sky. Adam didn't want to get up, he twitched his nose and tried to fall back into a rest. His muscles must still be sore from yesterday, his joints felt tired. That's when he noticed he had not been sleeping lying down, he was sitting up. 'Hmmph, weird.' He thought to himself. He let the morning sun start to warm his face and he smiled, 'wait, arent I inside?' He peeled one eye open and blinked a few times. He stopped blinking once he saw the sight in front of him.

There was a corpse impaled by a spear standing upright in the dirt. The body had been moved to its side and stuck there, run completely through with the spear.

"WHAT THE FUCK." He shot up, but his arm was being held down, he looked to his right. His arm was being held down by the corpse of another ninja

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA." A nearby vulture cawed in anger.

Around him was a massacre, torn down tents and multiple bodies littering the ground. Blood stained his clothing and scattered weapon around him. "Holy shit holy shit holy shit." He surveyed the mayhem, counting thirteen bodies.

"DEMON."

'Hmmmm yes?' the voice immediately responded. Adam tried to calm his beating heart, he looked down at his bloodstained hands.

"Explain, now!" He demanded. His mind was running and his heart was beating furiously.

"Welllll, there was this encampment of ninjas that was sitting here not too far away, so I decided that it would be a good idea to get rid of them." That had been a lame excuse.

"Why?" Adam clenched and unclenched his fists, walking through the messy corpses and destruction of it all. Spinning around to survy the destruction of the camp.

"Well since you care about the forest so much, and I needed to get a few souls to keep me satisfied I was like 'well why not kill two soldiers with one spear,' so I came here, got my souls, and the people that were hurting the forest are dead." He sounded content with himself. Adam grimaced at the two bodies on the ground placed neatly in front of him, both implanted with the same spear.

"What the hell? Why didn't you even tell me anything?" Just when he thought the situation could not get any worse he had to jinx it. It very suddenly was able to get a whole lot worse.

"Adam?" He spun around and watched two figures approach him.

"Oh of course now of course fucking now." He cursed quietly and tried to calm down significantly. Xayah and Rakan started to walk towards him. His hair was a mess and he was completely covered in blood that was not his own. He had no idea why they were there but now that they were he would have to come up with some high quality bullshit.

"Hi guys," He gave an awkward wave. "I just uh, stumbled upon this camp right here."

As Rakan got closer he raised an eyebrow in question. "You don't look like you uh... have taken a good look at yourself recently?" Rakan looked Adam up and down, Xayah just stood in mild shock at the strewn bodies. They had planned to attack this encampment, it would have been the first of many to get to Zed.

"What the hell did you do?" Xayah asked, crouching down to get a better look at one of the corpses.

"I uh, took care of them." His voice wavered and he gave a half smile.

'E,X,P,L,A,I,N' Adam thought, he was still taking it all in.

"Like I said I was just killing the people killing your beloved forest so you wouldn't have to do it yourself." The demon said. Adam wanted to go over to one of the trees and start beating his head against it. Maybe he would wake up to normality instead of a bloodbath.

"Well at least now we won't have to do anything," Rakan said. He poked the corpse propped up by the spear, "These guys are definitely dead."

"Why did you decide to just come here and kill them?" Xayah was on the verge of trying to stab Adam again, he was too dangerous. Adam sighed and sat down on the ground the orange of the sun streaked across the sky.

"It wasn't me." He stated bluntly.

"What do you mean it wasn't you? You are covered in blood and in the middle of an entire massacre and if you had been painted with the words 'I DID IT' it would not make a difference." Xayah had one hand behind her back, preparing to strike at any moment.

"You want me to tell you who did it?" He would have to show them the Demon for them to beleive anything.

"That would be pretty impressive," Rakan said.

Adam closed his eyes, when they opened again they glowed lightly with a deep crimson.

"Hey, guys, what a fine morning don't you agree." Rakan had taken a step back, the change of demeanor from the strange man had thrown him off.

"And no I am not Adam." The demon stood up and stretched his back. The fight yesterday night had been a fun one. After taking the souls of a few more he decided what was the best way to impale someone without killing them immediately. The double spear had been an interesting one to pull off, having them line up before attacking.

"Who are you?" Feather daggers were already in between Xayah's fingers.

"That is a good question, I am whoever you think I am." The demon smiled and bent back towards the sky, basking in the sun.

"Well I should probably getting back now, you're welcome for doing your job for you." He turned South and started trotting into the forest. Again, the two Vastayan stood in stunned silence. In the day they had found this being he had made a very interesting first impression.

"How did you know it was our job?"

"I stalked you yesterday night." The Demon called back. He continued forwards, his jolly walk through the forest making the situation seem so out of place.

"We need to follow him," Xayah said.

"Why? Can't we just go on and find the rest?"

"He is too big of a threat, the other's are going to be coming into the area soon, and if they encounter him they could get hurt." She started to follow the Demon. Rakan obediently followed.

"Whatever you say babe, but so far this guy looks like a pretty cool dude. He took out all of these baddies overnight. He's kind of badass, just like someone else I know very well." Xayah just rolled her eyes at his cheesy antics and moved into the forest. They were going to need more information about this being before they got anywhere, he posed too big of a threat. If he could take on eleven trained ninjas alone and get out covered in their blood, he could wipe out a squad of Vastayans. Sure they were trained but she still didn't know the extent of his power. For now they would change their plan.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **Too fast? Too slow? I need to know D: the pacing is important and if I need to add more details I will try. Any and all reviews are very much welcome. So far I like where this is going and don't worry, I do have the general direction planned for where I want this to go. Thanks for reading :D and hope to see you soon.**

 **Here are the reviews for this one:**

 **mr. jack joke: "** lol, demon leaves him with the work." **Yea he seems to do that a lot doesn't he.**

 **Guest: "** So far I liking it the detail is there and it leaves u wanting more aka ( good writing ). Now as for if your updating it to fast nah I say 1 chapter every 7 days or so is pretty good gives u time to rewrite and check spelling. Also UPDATES :3 YES." **Thanks for the compliment :D, I will try to add those key details that bring the story together. And for the updating, I probably won't be able to crank out one chapter every week .-. That is a very fast schedule that I do NOT expect to be able to keep up with. Sometimes I might get bursts of speed when I write but sorry to disappoint you :P I can't write in one week, expect more 2-3 weeks. Thanks again :D.**

 **That's all for now folks, hope to see you soon!**


	4. Snowdown Interlude

**Here is an honest attempt at a Snowdown special kind of thing :^)**

 **I kind of just put down all my thoughts and there are some tiny hints to spoilers and characters that I am going to introduce later. I'm not good at this casual stuff so its probably not the best. Welp, here is me vomiting on the page. It was kind of just a, shotgun and go, ima write a chapter in two days and only proofread it once. (So there might be mistakes XD I wanted to get this out on Chrismas day)**

 **Also, I have written some more for both Demons Burden and Stitched Rose but it's been slow over the holidays :3 Things are just going slow.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Snow gently fell on the top of the cabin. Instead of being dull and rather empty, it was filled with furnishing and felt like an actual living space. A fresh green wreath hung on the door and a tree had been placed in the corner. Walls had been constructed and the fireplace had a stone ring as a decorative piece. Adam was snoring on the couch in front of the fire, arms folded. It was still too early to wake up, the fire was still warm from the few charcoals in it.

The loud knock on the door caused him to flinch. He groaned and rolled off the coach and onto the floor, face flat on the ground before picking himself up and dragging himself to the door. He swung it open and shivered at the sudden cold. On the other side stood a very impatient looking cat-eared woman.

"What," Adam said.

"Didn't you forget, you told me to be here."

"Ohhhh, yea that's why I put the green stuff here. Wait, others were supposed to come… hm. Also, Snow?" He just noticed the light blanket of the white stuff covering everything.

"Yes snow, now let me in it's freezing jeez." Adam stepped back and Ahri hurried in, warming her hands and kicking off her boots. Adam started to boil some water on the stove in a kettle.

"So, how's the bathhouse and stuff going."

"Good, it's going well, especially after the whole zed ordeal was over, we have had a lot of good customers that moved in."

"That's good to hear." Adam took his place on the couch and nestled in. Right as he was reaching for another blanket there was another light knock on the door. He got up again and opened it again. On the other side stood, or rather hovered, a rather tightly bundled mage. Behind her stood a very cross looking ninja, face covered by a mask and arms crossed.

"Oh, hey guys, I wasn't sure if you were actually going to come." Adam stepped back to let the two people in.

"Zed keeps throwing fits but I don't want him sulking in his temple all day." Syndra unwrapped a scarf from around her neck and placed it on a table, placing her white coat on a hanger near the door. Zed pretty much threw off the bright red hat that had been put on his head.

"How did you get that on him?" Adam asked with a smirk.

"By asking nicely," Syndra seemed to grin evilly and Adam just looked at the uncomfortable ninja.

"Don't look at me in mockery Demon." Zed glared at Adam.

"Yeahhh, he is still a little fussy about the ruining the plans thing." Syndra patted him on the head and he growled. "There there." Adam wanted to laugh, if he had tried that he probably would have received a rather hard stab to the gut. Wiping up the entrails would not have been fun.

"Hi, Syndra." Ahri perked up from the couch.

"Oh, hi Ahri."

"You two know each other?" Adam glanced at the two.

"She's a regular at the bathhouse."

"After a rather unsuccessful attempt at trying to make one of my own I found hers," Syndra explained.

"I bet there is an interesting story there." Said Adam.

"Not really, heating water constantly and floating it up to the fortress can be a real drag," Syndra replied.

Adam shrugged and moved to the kitchen and grabbed a plate, he placed the platter of cookies on the table next to the fire.

"Oh wow when did you get the time to make these?" asked Syndra, picking up one of the carefully made sweets. Adam's eyes turned a bright glowing red like headlights on a car.

"I made them, Adam over here isn't exactly a pastry chef." the Demon said with a smile, his eyes started glowing. Ahri tilted her head in surprise.

"When did YOU learn how to make cookies?"

"Sneaking books from libraries is an easy thing to do, especially when Adam over here is asleep." Syndra took a tentative bight, they were soft and very sweet, still warm from their recent creation.

"These are great!" She took another bite and hummed. Zed stood in the darkest corner, surveying the others with a slight look of disgust.

"Come on Zed buddy." The ninja jumped to the side instinctively, reaching for a weapon on his back that wasn't there. The demon had teleported next to him, holding out a cookie.

"Cookie?" He waggled the sweet in front of the mask.

"I'm not hungry," Zed stated bluntly. The demon leaned back and relaxed. Zed held his tense arms at his side, there had been a no weapons policy, that had been enforced by Syndra. He only had gotten two concealed daggers under his clothes but they would take a second to get out from under the coat. He took careful consideration if it was worth it to try and stab the demon right now.

There was another loud knock at the door, at the same time the kettle started to whistle loudly. Zed untensed and cracked his neck before turning his attention to the fire. Making a mess here would make Syndra angry, he would hold back, for now.

The demon teleported to turn off the kettle then quickly appeared at the door to open it. Behind it stood Xayah and Rakan, both in matching sweaters. The Demon's face just split into a wide smile, almost too wide.

"Heyyyyyyy." Adam and Rakan high fived. "Long time no see."

"It's been a week." Said Xayah, rolling her eyes.

"Long enough." They walked inside and greeted the other people and Vastaya around the room. There were some tense stares at Zed, but they didn't immediately attack each other; good start.

"If I am not mistaken, there is still one more person." The demon's eyes dimmed back down to their normal crimson. Adam shook his head, "but he is always late, so, tea anyone?" There was nodding throughout the room. Adam handed out the warm cups of beach tea to everyone except Zed and Rakan. He was persistent, he would get Zed to do at least one thing not edgy tonight. It was going to be an uphill battle, but he could do it. Adam passed out the hot cups and took a place on the carpet next to the fire. Ahri and Xayah quickly picked up a conversation about recent Vatsyayan activities while Syndra was trying to force a cookie into Zed's mouth, which would have been easier if he took his mask off.

Rakan sat next to Adam and watched the fire lick up and down the black stones.

"So, you going to go see anyone this snowdown." Adam just looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You know, like maybe an uh, relative? Friend?" He sounded hopeful.

"The people here are the only people I have talked to within the past three hundred years."

"Oh, well at least you have us you know, you get lonely out here?"

"Not really, its quiet, and it's the first time in a while it's snowed, huh." Adam just stared off at nothing. Rakan opted to just stay quiet and lay back, checking that his hair still looked fine before admiring Xayah while she talked to Ahri.

"Oh, he is here." Adam's eyes had flashed back to their glowing state. He disappeared from his place on the ground. There was a loud shout and the door was kicked down. Everyone turned their heads, Adam had one arm around Kayn's neck, putting him in a headlock as he dragged him through the door. He ruffled the hair of the half darkin and had a wide grin.

"See, now the whole gang's here."

"LET GO OF ME." Kayn demanded, standing upright after the Demon lifted his arm up playfully. Kayn dusted himself up and glared at Adam, he bowed when he saw Zed. The other ninja didn't move but the Demon could tell there was a bit of approval behind that mask.

"No need for formality here, it's time to relax, even with your enemies." The Demon's eyes dulled and Adam was back.

"Want anything to drink?" Asked Adam.

"I'm fine." Kayn just surveyed the room and took a seat next to the fire. They had met not too long ago. Rhast and the Demon had hit it off, but that was a story for another time.

There were few greetings for him Xayah and Ahri picked up their conversation again after the brief interruption. Kayn slid in next to Zed in the corner. There were some whispers and Syndra leaned in to hear.

"No Zed you can't kill everyone here, I don't think you would be able to either." Zed glared back at Syndra in an attempt to look intimidating, she just looked at him with a poker face. Adam smiled, it was going to get dark soon.

"So who wants to go see the lights?"

"But I just got warm," Ahri whined.

"C'mon, we won't be out for long, I know that Zed is just DYING to try and see what he didn't destroy and everyone else would like to too, right?"

"Magic of the forest I always have time for." Rakan jumped up, "Lets goooo."

* * *

The strange party made their way outside, with Adam leading the way through the snow. Syndra held onto Zed's arm while Kayn followed closely behind. Rakan and Xayah were walking together as always. Ahri stood near Adam in the front, watching the light snowfall gather on the ground and branches, trying to catch a snowflake or two on her tongue. Soon they made it to the outcrop of trees and Adam stopped. The sun was about to set. As the sky turned from grey to black the forest sprung to life.

The cool winter evening had been turned into a wonderland. The glowing of the trees started to brighten and soon red and green lights danced along the branches. Some of the lights floated around them and hovered in front of their eyes. Adam watched, silent and happy as the beauty of the forest was revealed. He knew that it would be a first for Zed or Kayn, at least they looked like they liked it. Xayah and Rakan huddled close to each other to watch. He watched as the lines in between bark became the roads for little lights to travel up and down.

"See, it's not that bad," Syndra whispered to Zed.

"Making a light show is a waste of this energy, it can do so much more than that," Zed said in a monotone voice. Syndra gave him a light knock on the head.

"Well enjoy it how it is, cause it's not changing." Zed murmured about starting a logging service.

Adam watched as he puffed out clouds of warm air, the water creating vapor clouds in front of his face. They stood there in silence under the lights for a while, enjoying the peaceful night on Snowdown's eve.

A snowball quickly made it straight into Adam's face. He stumbled backward and wiped the slush from his cheeks. His skin burned from the cold and he turned to see Ahri holding back a launch.

"Why you-" He picked up a bundle of snow and threw it back, eliciting a yip from Ahri who dodged to the side.

He threw another but it went high, and straight onto Syndra's lap, she had sat down to enjoy the spectacle. Adam immediately froze and watched as the mage stood up, and started to hover in the air. Everyone was quiet and Syndra just looked at him with a blank face. Snow started to rise up from the ground, making it seem like it was falling the wrong direction. Adam gulped.

"I always wondered what a human snowman would look like."

"Oh boy."

* * *

Adam chartered uncontrollably by the fire, wrapped up in multiple blankets. He had never seen snow many snowballs in one place. He had been stuck for most of it, after Syndra had dumped a mountain of snow on top of him he didn't get to watch the others join in.

Xayah's aim was as deadly as always and with Rakan running everyone down they made a deadly duo. Ahri was able to sneak around and catch out any unsuspecting victims, usually knocking them over into a pile of snow.

Syndra just created chaos, not defending herself because she didn't need to. It was a constant blizzard around her, and if anyone had gotten too close they would have ended up like Adam, six feet under.

Zed and Kayn had joined in on the fun, surprisingly enough. Adam never knew a shadow could throw a snowball at you, and with them flying from every direction it was usually undodgeable. Kayn had made use in running straight through trees and appearing out of nowhere to hurl a blanket of snow at you. They had fought throughout the night under the lights just bright enough to see their surroundings. After the entire thing had finished it left everyone chilly and rather snow covered, except for Syndra, no one had gotten to her. Adam had a cupboard full of blankets to pass around and a large supply of tea. As they huddled around the fire. Syndra leaned on Zed who had left his mask on but wrapped his blanket around her. Kayn sat with his stomach to the floor with red hat Zed had been wearing before.

Rakan and Xayah were cuddling together (obviously) and Ahri sat on the couch. Adam was closest to the fire, apparently, everyone had just "forgot" after he had been dumped into the ice. It had taken a whole lot of persuasion and having to endure a solid three minutes of the Demon laughing to stop him from freezing to death. His joints were just starting to unfreeze and he shivered.

"Thanks for the invite Adam."

"N-no problem." He chattered. Zed just grunted and Adam turned towards him.

"Were you going to say something?" Zed glared back.

"He says, 'thanks for giving me an excuse to drag my ass out of my dark corner.'" Syndra spoke, curling closer to Zed.

"Normally I do nothing during Snowdown, it's another passing day," Kayn said.

"Well it's best spent with people I heard, and I had just fixed up this house here so there wasn't a better time to get you all to just relax." Adam smiled.

The strange group watched the fire crackle in the warm cabin. Adam smiled and looked through the window on a silent night.

"Merry Snowdown."

* * *

 **YAY, MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HONIKA, GOOD KWANZA, WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE JUST BE HAPPY.**

 **That's my 2 cents for now.**

 **I don't write this often so criticism is always appreciated :D.**

 **Reviews:**

Trixie Treat: "The demon is a badaass" "I love the concept of your story, I would love to see more!"

 **Yes, the demon is pretty cool ;) I try to make him humorous at times. Also, I do intend to write more :D, you wish is my command.**

 **See you all soon, I will be writing a lot more once break ends (in a week for me).**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **-Adam**


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